PDF A Meeting of Land and Sea: Nature and the Future of Martha’s Vineyard by David R. Foster in History

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A Beautiful and Deep Exploration of Martha's VineyardBy Jeff CA gorgeous and fascinating deep dive into the forces that have made Martha's Vineyard what it is today; with implications for the future. A must for anyone interested in ecology; the interactions of people and the land they live on; and/ or the island of Martha's Vineyard itself. I haven't read another book quite like it. Foster starts with the geological history of the Island; moves on to vegetation; animals; Native Americans; European Americans; climate change; land use planing; and the interactions of all of the above. Scattered throughout are sidebars highlighting specific people or characteristics of the story in more detail. He concludes with a vision for conservation of Martha's Vineyard; and the New England landscape generally; that encompasses not just "wilderness"; but also agriculture and the other ways that people use the land. The book is full of surprises from the last 30 years of research. One of the most interesting to me concerned the role of Native Americans. While the old myth of "Indians living simply and in harmony with the land" is increasingly being replaced over much of the Americas with a more complicated understanding of their civilizations; cities; villages and active land management; in New England; the older story seems closer to the truth. (As usual; no simple story applies across many peoples over disparate geographies and time-scales). This latest understanding of the differences between New England and much of the rest of the country comes from studies of pond/bog sediments over the past 10;000 or so years. It turns out; that; in Martha's Vineyard and elsewhere in New England; the sediments associated with pervasive fire and agricultural plants don't appear in significant amounts until after European contact. The story is complicated by the slow trickle of European contact/ settlement; which had been going on for hundreds of years by the time the Pilgrims reached Massachusetts. Foster's analysis of this evidence in no way minimizes the accomplishment of the original Americans in these parts. The evidence shows they have lived successfully on a small island for many thousands of years; developing a sophisticated understanding of how to make use of the full range of resources available; while preserving their future availability; as those resources shifted in seasonal patterns. All with the flexibility to adapt to a constant background of climate-driven change. For just one more example of the interesting angles the book touches on: the arrival of coyotes on a nearby island. Once they reached significant numbers they switched from hunting small animals by themselves to hunting deer in packs. The result was (roughly) an 80% decline in the number of deer; combined with an 80% increase in the average weight of the deer that remained. And the beginnings of new patters of vegetation in the landscape; and human behaviors (grazing more cows and less sheep); because as the book illustrates in so many ways; life and the landscape are all connected in amazingly complex patterns.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Worthy PurchaseBy Alison MitchellFantastic book with an enormous amount of information; history; graphics and beautiful photographs. A wonderful read for anyone with connections to Martha's Vineyard or an interest in the geological history of New England.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Berkeley D. JohnsonLovely volume